BleedGopher
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Tubby watching 2011 recruit in Indiana this weekend
By Marcus Fuller
Gophers coach Tubby Smith is in Indiana this weekend watching Lew Wallace High School junior Branden Dawson play in the state tournament. But is Smith still recruiting for Minnesota?
Smith talked with Oregon representatives about its basketball coaching position this week, but there's no telling if that is as far as it has gone as of today. He's keeping things close to the vest.
Wallace, an athletic 6-foot-6 small forward, is a five-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best player in the 2011 class by Rivals.com. Minnesota, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Georgetown, Marquette and UCLA have offered him scholarships.
The Gophers also watched Dawson play earlier this month, but it looks like they have some competition to land him. Few West Coast schools are recruiting him, so Smith still seems to be doing business as usual as Minnesota's coach. That could be a sign that he's staying put.
-- When Gophers assistant basketball coach Vince Taylor joined Smith's staff three years ago, he was already thinking about becoming a Division I head coach.
Those close to him hope that Taylor gets his shot now. As I reported earlier this week, the former Duke player and Louisville assistant is interviewing at North Carolina-Wilmington and North Carolina-Charlotte. Don't be surprised, either, if he is considered for the Minnesota job if Smith leaves.
"It wouldn't surprise me to see him get a job sometime soon," ESPN analyst and former Duke player Jay Bilas said about Taylor. "He's got an amazing amount of experience through his playing career and coaching career. He's seen it all."
-- The Gophers will have their eyes keenly fixed on a point guard during next Wednesday's McDonald's All-American game in Columbus, Ohio.
Findlay Prep (Nev.) senior Cory Joseph, the younger brother of Gophers sophomore Devoe Joseph, should be a candidate for MVP honors in the game. If he outplays his high-profile counterparts, it could make it less likely that he signs with Minnesota.
Sometimes kids tend to fall in love with the spotlight. Joseph definitely won't be on the national radar as a freshman immediately with the Gophers as much as he would be at Texas, Villanova or Connecticut.
The Gophers have been confident for a while about their chances of landing the younger Joseph. I think they have a 50-50 shot right now. It's been known that he won't sit down to make a decision until after his last game on April 3. The question is, how long after that will he pick a school?
Rivals.com recruiting expert Jerry Meyer said if Cory Joseph joined the Gophers, he would be the best point guard to enter the Big Ten since Mike Conley went to Ohio State in 2006.
"What makes him special to me is his unique feel for the game," Meyer said. "He knows when to assert himself to score and when to facilitate the ball to keep his teammates happy. He's also a very good defender, a very good defender. He has a complete game."
-- Brewster Academy (N.H.) center Mo Walker is scheduled to visit the Gophers on April 9, according to Zagsblog.com. But Adam Zagoria, who wrote the story, said he thinks Walker will end up at Pittsburgh, which has been the favorite for a while. I agree.
Brewster Academy coach Jason Smith called the 6-10, 300-pound Walker the best available big man in the country.
"He's very skilled for a big man," Smith told me today. "He's a great passer and has outstanding hands and footwork. Yes, he will need to continue to work on conditioning, but he understands this and puts in the necessary extra time in this area. He's a high-character kid who's a great teammate and citizen in our community."
If Cory Joseph signs with Minnesota, I wonder if Walker will seriously consider playing here. He played with the Joseph brothers at one time on the Grassroots Canada AAU team in Toronto.
-- I've heard that former Milwaukee high school star Johnnie Lacy has let the Gophers know through people close to him that he's interested in transferring to Minnesota from Providence. But I'm not sure the Gophers have the same interest in him at this time.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Lacy is built like a point guard, but he isn't one. He's a scorer. That might be the reason Minnesota passes, because it has Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber returning next season. Recruit Austin Hollins will also be a freshman.
Lacy's numbers this season also weren't flattering. He averaged 1.9 points in 8.1 minutes a game for the Friars as a freshman.
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2010/03/tubby-watching-2011-recruit-in.html
Go Gophers!!
By Marcus Fuller
Gophers coach Tubby Smith is in Indiana this weekend watching Lew Wallace High School junior Branden Dawson play in the state tournament. But is Smith still recruiting for Minnesota?
Smith talked with Oregon representatives about its basketball coaching position this week, but there's no telling if that is as far as it has gone as of today. He's keeping things close to the vest.
Wallace, an athletic 6-foot-6 small forward, is a five-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best player in the 2011 class by Rivals.com. Minnesota, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Georgetown, Marquette and UCLA have offered him scholarships.
The Gophers also watched Dawson play earlier this month, but it looks like they have some competition to land him. Few West Coast schools are recruiting him, so Smith still seems to be doing business as usual as Minnesota's coach. That could be a sign that he's staying put.
-- When Gophers assistant basketball coach Vince Taylor joined Smith's staff three years ago, he was already thinking about becoming a Division I head coach.
Those close to him hope that Taylor gets his shot now. As I reported earlier this week, the former Duke player and Louisville assistant is interviewing at North Carolina-Wilmington and North Carolina-Charlotte. Don't be surprised, either, if he is considered for the Minnesota job if Smith leaves.
"It wouldn't surprise me to see him get a job sometime soon," ESPN analyst and former Duke player Jay Bilas said about Taylor. "He's got an amazing amount of experience through his playing career and coaching career. He's seen it all."
-- The Gophers will have their eyes keenly fixed on a point guard during next Wednesday's McDonald's All-American game in Columbus, Ohio.
Findlay Prep (Nev.) senior Cory Joseph, the younger brother of Gophers sophomore Devoe Joseph, should be a candidate for MVP honors in the game. If he outplays his high-profile counterparts, it could make it less likely that he signs with Minnesota.
Sometimes kids tend to fall in love with the spotlight. Joseph definitely won't be on the national radar as a freshman immediately with the Gophers as much as he would be at Texas, Villanova or Connecticut.
The Gophers have been confident for a while about their chances of landing the younger Joseph. I think they have a 50-50 shot right now. It's been known that he won't sit down to make a decision until after his last game on April 3. The question is, how long after that will he pick a school?
Rivals.com recruiting expert Jerry Meyer said if Cory Joseph joined the Gophers, he would be the best point guard to enter the Big Ten since Mike Conley went to Ohio State in 2006.
"What makes him special to me is his unique feel for the game," Meyer said. "He knows when to assert himself to score and when to facilitate the ball to keep his teammates happy. He's also a very good defender, a very good defender. He has a complete game."
-- Brewster Academy (N.H.) center Mo Walker is scheduled to visit the Gophers on April 9, according to Zagsblog.com. But Adam Zagoria, who wrote the story, said he thinks Walker will end up at Pittsburgh, which has been the favorite for a while. I agree.
Brewster Academy coach Jason Smith called the 6-10, 300-pound Walker the best available big man in the country.
"He's very skilled for a big man," Smith told me today. "He's a great passer and has outstanding hands and footwork. Yes, he will need to continue to work on conditioning, but he understands this and puts in the necessary extra time in this area. He's a high-character kid who's a great teammate and citizen in our community."
If Cory Joseph signs with Minnesota, I wonder if Walker will seriously consider playing here. He played with the Joseph brothers at one time on the Grassroots Canada AAU team in Toronto.
-- I've heard that former Milwaukee high school star Johnnie Lacy has let the Gophers know through people close to him that he's interested in transferring to Minnesota from Providence. But I'm not sure the Gophers have the same interest in him at this time.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Lacy is built like a point guard, but he isn't one. He's a scorer. That might be the reason Minnesota passes, because it has Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber returning next season. Recruit Austin Hollins will also be a freshman.
Lacy's numbers this season also weren't flattering. He averaged 1.9 points in 8.1 minutes a game for the Friars as a freshman.
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2010/03/tubby-watching-2011-recruit-in.html
Go Gophers!!
